Featured Supplier : Laura Ridley

One of the nicest ladies I know in the wedding industry, working with Laura is always fabulous, and the quality and attention to detail in both her work on the day and on the lead up too are truly second to none. Do check her out for your bridal hair!

Stafford Bridal Hair Specialist

I’ve known Laura for quite a few years now, and in fact, Laura styled my wife’s hair for our wedding reception! Whenever I see Laura she always has a beaming smile, with an energy that is amazing to be around on the wedding morning.

Sitting down to chat with Laura and talk about her progression within the hair industry, it was her passion that shone throughout.

Mobile Wedding Hair Stylist

From a start in the hair industry at the grand age of 14, Laura’s journey took a leap around four years ago with a specialist bridal hair course in Manchester. After falling in-love with weddings and the excitement, choosing to specialise in Bridal hair led to Laura’s journey as a Bridal Hair Specialist.

“I went on the specialist course in Manchester, and it just opened my eyes to even more ideas and more inspiration. A few more techniques and just got the excitement going which just helped everything along really!”

Excitement and passion definitely set Laura aside, and I love how she always stay on top of styles and trends, investing in training to provide the best possible service for her brides.

However, as you would expect from someone in a creative side of the industry, Laura really get’s excited when a bride comes to her with a style or an idea, and she can use her experience to guide:

“If someone shows me a photograph, and I’ll look at the client’s face and go, ‘okay is it going to suit?’ I look at the hair length, and their dresses as well. I can really get an idea which styles are going to suit or how many adapt the style to suit the client.

You have to find out obviously the dress type, because if you go vintage a very modern style is not necessarily suited to a vintage dress. Is the dress open back? I have you got detail on the dress that if you’re going to have your hair down is it going to hide? That kind of detail so it’s all these little things I have to find out, to make sure that the bride has is perfect for her”.”

And surely that’s what you would want! Use the experience of your stylist, to help you look truly perfect for your big day!

Stafford Wedding Hair Stylist

Building relationships are what it is all about for us as suppliers, with you as clients. The more comfortable we all feel together, the more natural and fun everything can be!

With Laura I love how she allocates as much time as may possibly be needed for a consultation – there is never any worry of you feeling rushed, that’s for sure!!

“I did a consultation today – three hours, and it was great because me and the bride just got on so so well you want to know everything about their wedding, and they can really get a good idea of what to do with their and create that relationship where they can put their trust in you to make sure that you are doing a good job for them.”

It’s also from building this trust and a relationship with Laura, that you can also ask for help and advice, whether it’s from when to cut your hair, how or when to colour, or how to condition and look after it to ensure it’s exactly how you want for the big day!

The attitude and quality of Laura’s work also lead to so many other bookings, as well as becoming friends with her couples:

“Sometimes they become friends after their wedding, or I have bridesmaids that go, ‘I’ve got to have you for my wedding!’

I’ve had many brides that have actually just become my friends, and it’s lovely. I love it!”

Bridesmaid Hair Styling For Your Wedding

Obviously, it’s not just the Bride’s hair that Laura is able to look after, but the Bridesmaids and indeed the Mothers of the Bride and Groom too – depending on numbers, of course!

I love how Laura also considers the styling of the Bridesmaids to compliment the Bride’s style:

“Sometimes the Bride wants obviously to stand out, sometimes they want similar styles as the Bridesmaids, but a little bit more detailed. But most Brides want a style that is more outstanding to show off that they are the Bride. So bridesmaids we then have to work to make sure they’re not out-doing the bride, but they are still looking as glamorous!”

The Wedding Morning With Laura Ridley – Wedding Hair Specialist

Naturally, as a photographer, I arrive on the wedding morning a few hours after the hair and makeup artists start, so I was interested to hear from Laura how the morning flows, from the 6 am start.

Being incredibly organised and timetabled helps Laura keep on track through the wedding morning – which is fabulous, and so important too!

“I will do them a little timetable for the morning. On the consultation, I will get pictures of every bridesmaid’s hair get to know their hair lengths the thicknesses and by the end of the bride’s trial, will know what styles the bridesmaids are having. Will know how long the bride’s hair is going to take, so I can allocate everybody a time slot. I will make sure that me and the makeup artist aren’t clashing and needing the same person for the same time…”

This I can only imagine is so incredibly helpful. Being so thorough allows everything to stay calm, relaxed and completely in control…and let you all relax and enjoy yourselves on the wedding morning, which is of course what it’s all about!!

I also love that Laura keeps the whole day clear for a wedding, “just-in-case”! Having that confidence she is only a phone call away must be wonderful for her Brides!! It also means she is on-hand for putting the veil in too!!

“You get that special moment when you put the veil in – that is the part where everything comes together!”

Bridal Hair Trials with Laura Ridley

I had no idea of the length and dedication Laura would put into hair trials for the wedding, putting aside a whole six hours, allowing you the time to try three complete hairstyles, and find the one that is perfect for you!

Allowing this time allows for experimentation, and exploration must be great!!

“I’ll do a trial one to two months before where the brides can try up to three hairstyles. So if they’re not quite sure what they want, they can try a down-style, and up-style then usually for the third style I give them like a mystery…because sometimes they go, ‘oh, I like that one, I like the twists in that one, I like the braid on that one’, so I get to bring something together! And then sometimes they go, ‘that’s my style!'”

Spending this time with Laura must be so comforting too – getting to talk about where you’re up to with the plans, gaining any advice from Laura too, finding a supplier, or just helping you with something. And also becoming friends in the process!

Staffordshire Wedding Hair Stylist

From finding Laura at local wedding fayres to following her on Facebook or Instagram, you can get a feel for her and the fabulous styles she creates! With the wedding fayres and the chance to meet one-to-one, you can see if you gel and connect with Laura, and really start the whole exciting process of planning your wedding hair, so much more than you could online.

I found it great to hear from Laura that her pricing is completely transparent, and quite ingeniously based upon the length of the hair for styles – I just LOVE this simple and effective approach!

“I charge depending on hair length because if you have got long, heavy hair, your hair is going to take a lot longer. It’s going to be obviously more complex, so then I do charge an extra fee for working with long hair, not much, just a little bit and short hair is a lot quicker so it’s less work. Most styles take around one to 1 1/2 hours to bring together, so the pricing doesn’t really change.”

Whilst with Laura it was great to quiz her on her top wedding hair tips to help when you’re planning your wedding:

Wash the hair the day before – never on the wedding day! If the hair is too soft to work with you can create frizz or the grips can fail to grip, so a little grease helps. But don’t worry – the Bed Head Dry Shampoo is always to hand!! :)

Wear tops that do not go over your head! And no thick collars!! No dressing gowns with collars that get in the way. Instead, choose something you can just take off!

Get the veil out of the bag the night before the wedding to air and let the creases drop.

When you’re picking your hairstyle, consider your dress consider if the back is open, whether there is detail on the back or the detail on the front you’re not going to want the hair to the side if you’ve got detail on the front so consider that consider your personality as well make it sure. Pick something because it resonates with you as well.

Bring together a timetable! On the morning if it’s all planned, it will all run smoothly, and you’ve got to run it perfectly from the start!

Laura’s Wedding Tips

So from the hair tips, it was down to the wedding tips from Laura…starting with one that brought a smile!!

Firstly, a toilet tip! Frontways ;)It really is one of my top tips. I always tell my Brides before they leave!

Make sure you eat! I’d hate any bride to pass out from not eating, so always make you eat – even just a little something to eat in the morning.

And drink as well, not just alcohol – some water too.

Research when you’re booking suppliers. Meet people face-to-face and ask for recommendations as well, but check them out for yourself. They may have been right for somebody else,but every bride and groom want different things, so always go and check them out personally. Go and check their Facebook or the website and meet with them!

Finally, take time for you and your groom because everybody is having a great time on the actual wedding day, and so much is going on, and you hardly get to see each other! I always say, make sure you grab your groom, take ten minutes, five minutes out just the two of you, to kind of say ‘hi’ and just to take it all in!

I just loved catching up with Laura, and as you can see in the video below, she is such a pleasure to be around:

If you want to find out more about Laura and the amazing bridal and bridesmaid hairstyling she can do, please visit her online at: